Connection Overview

You will be using Tera Term (or CoolTerm) to emulate a microcontroller that sends/receives text messages from the Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) interface of the module.

After associating with an AP and obtaining an IP address from the router, the module creates a TCP/UDP socket connection with a server, then exchanges data with the server. The TCP/UDP operation is transparent to the UART interface (i.e., the MCU only sees the application data bytes on the UART interface).

This is depicted in Figure 1:

Module Overview

The following diagram depicts the key components of the RN-1723-EK. Note the Status LED color locations, as these provide useful status indications for a variety of events.

Connect Module to PC

After installing the FTDI USB drivers on your PC, connect the RN-1723-EK to your computer using the supplied USB cable.

By default, the module powers up in Data mode. This is indicated by the GREEN LED flashing slowly, and the RED LED flashing quickly.

Use The Device Manager to Find the COM Port Number

Before you start Tera Term, you need to determine the COM port number assigned to the connection.

Select Start > Control Panel > System > Device Manager. Expand Ports and note the COM port number as shown here.

Launch Tera Term, Open Assigned COM Port, Enter Command Mode

Start Tera Term, and open the assigned COM port number with the following settings:

• 9600 baud, 8-bits, No Parity, 1-stop bit

Since the module is currently in Data mode, you will need to enter a special key sequence to switch to Command mode. Type the following key sequence in the terminal (note these keys are not echoed):

$

If proper communication has been established, the module should reply with:

CMD

You are now in Command mode. Yay!

Query Current Module Configuration Settings

The first action command we will learn is how to query the module settings.

The following query retrieves all current settings in all categories:

get everything

Alternatively, each category's settings may be queried individually:

get wlan
get ip
get comm
etc...

Here is a useful command to obtain the current firmware version of the module:

ver

Change Specific Module Configuration Settings, Save to NVM

Typically, you will want to modify one or more settings in your application.

The following command sequence scans available access points, then updates several WLAN configuration settings, enabling the module to automatically scan and associate with a specific WLAN access point every time it is restarted.

Note that to make the changes persistent across module restart, the save command must be issued.

scan
set wlan join 1
set wlan ssid TCP0401_3
set wlan pass Microchip
save

Exit Command Mode

At this point, you may exit Command mode by typing the following command in the terminal:

exit

The module should reply with:

EXIT

Alternatively (and preferably if you've just saved several configuration updates), you can "reboot" the module (thereby applying those configuration changes) by typing:

reboot

You will see some status messages on reboot, followed by *READY*, indicating the module is in Data mode.